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Mozart's fascination with the piano concerto parallels Europe's interest in the piano itself. In the composer's early years, pianos were still regarded as new inventions. Harpsichords, which had been the stars of the Baroque era, were as yet highly regarded. Gradually, though, the greater power and versatility of the piano gave it precedence over its predecessor. A growing demand arose for compositions suited to this new keyboard instrument, and a fine pianist (Mozart was acclaimed as one of the best) could earn a good living playing concerti for appreciative audiences, especially if one could do so in Vienna, where appetites for new piano concerti seemed insatiable. For this reason, Mozart abandoned his native Salzburg. He settled in the imperial capital in the summer of 1781. In the decade that remained of his life, he would produce seventeen piano concerti, many of which now number among the masterpieces of the repertoire.
The last of Mozart's twenty-seven piano concerti dates from the winter of 1790/91, the last winter of his life, and a season of thwarted opportunities. The previous fall, with the accession of the new emperor Leopold II, Mozart had hoped for a lucrative appointment to the royal court, but such a post never materialized. Then, in December, his dear friend Joseph Haydn embarked upon a concert tour to London. Mozart had advised the old gentleman against it, on the grounds of his friend's age and lack of facility in English, but Haydn was not dissuaded. The friends said farewell, and Mozart contented himself with the promise from Haydn's concert promoter of a similar opportunity in the future. However, Mozart would not live long enough to take advantage of the offer. His final concert appearance would be given not in London, but in Vienna on March 4, 1791, in a program that featured the newly-composed Piano Concerto no. 27. Published later that year as his opus 17, the concerto would be amongst his last compositions to appear in print during Mozart's lifetime. He died of a fever just after midnight, December 5, 1791, only nine months after the concerto's premiere.